CPB – Campbell Soup is the Bear of the Day

Campbell Soup (CPB) may have a great history of beating the number, but lately estimates have turned south. CPB is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) and it is the Bear of the Day.

Big Time Winning Streak

Just beating the number all the time will not keep a stock from being a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). The rank is more about the estimate revisions that look forward as opposed to the earnings beats which are historical in nature.

That said, the Bear of the Day does have a two year win streak on its hands. Actually it is a quarter longer than that, as CPB has beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last 9 quarters.

Company Description

Campbell Soup produces branded convenience food products. The company operates in three business segments: Soup and Sauces, Biscuits and Confectionery, and Away From Home. Campbell Soup was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey.

Earnings History

As mentioned earlier, the soup maker has had a great run of earnings beats. Despite all these beats, the stock has not reacted all that positively. In five of the last six earnings, the stock has traded lower in the session following the announcement. That does not leave a good taste in investors' mouths.

The most recent report saw a big negative surprise on the topline. The company reported revenue that was $107 million less than expected for a 5.85% negative revenue surprise. The marked only the second time in the last seven reports that the top line came in below expectations.

Earnings Estimates Slip

Estimates for CPB have slipped of late, the main reason the Zacks Rank has fallen. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2013 stood at $2.76 in July, but fell to $2.67 in August and then down to $2.59 in September. Similarly the 2014 estimate has moved from $2.90 to $2.77 to $2.74 over the same time horizon.

The downward trend in estimate revisions is one of the biggest factors that can cause a stock to become a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Valuation

The valuation picture for CPB is pretty much where you might expect it to be. A 15x trailing and forward earnings multiple show a slim discount to the industry average, While price to book of 10x is almost three times as high as the industry average. Its price to sales multiple of 1.6x is below that of the 2.2x for the industry average. I like to look at revenue growth, and fiscal 2015 is expected to see 2.3% growth vs a 4.3% growth rate for the rest of the industry. That tells me the market is growing, but CPB may not be adding share as fast as its competitors.

The Chart

The price and consensus chart really tells the story of what is going on at CPB. The estimates started moving lower a few months ago, and when they did the stock fell from its recent highs. Established companies in more defensive industries tend to trade in line with the earnings estimates, making the rank a great short term indicator for stocks like CPB.

Top Penny Companies To Buy For 2014

Brian Bolan is a Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. He is the Editor in charge of the Zacks Home Run Investor
service, a Buy and Hold service where he recommends the stocks in the portfolio.

Brian is also the editor of Breakout Growth Trader a trading service that focuses on small cap stocks and
also carries a risk limiting strategy. Subscribers get daily emails along with buy, and sell alerts.

Follow Brian Bolan on twitter at@BBolan1

CAMPBELL SOUP (CPB): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Forest Laboratories, Inc. (FRX): Key Reasons Why Forest Won't Slim Down

Investors of Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) is banking on the prospect that Forest, under its newly anointed CEO, will simply become more specialized, shedding salesforce expenses along the way.

However, when one looks deeply into where Forest is getting its prescriptions and sales, they could see that is not likely to happen. If you are a drug company that markets drugs that address a large physician group, such as family practitioners or internists, then you have to field a large salesforce to reach physicians.

"Forest is among the most dependent on primary care sales of all drug companies, and so shedding salespeople would affect sales and shedding brands would not free up resources," BMO Capital Markets analyst David Maris wrote in a note to clients.

For Forest, 69.5 percent of its prescriptions come from the Primary Care area, the second-highest percentage overall and significantly higher than the percentages for all of its Specialty Pharma peers and next only to Merck (NYSE:MRK)., whose PCP rate is 75 percent

Many drugs that sound like a specialty sales call, like an asthma drug or a depression drug or even an Alzheimer's treatment drug like Namenda, actually get more than 50 percent of their sales and prescriptions from primary care physicians (PCPs).

"It is clear that even with recent launches, Forest is dependent on its large primary care salesforce, as more than 50% of prescriptions are coming from PCPs for each," Maris said.

It seems unlikely for a company to shrink salesforce when more than half its prescriptions and sales for lead products are coming from Primary Care. If Forest was to shed any part of its primary care salesforce, it would likely have a directly negative effect on overall sales of the product.

Top 10 Blue Chip Stocks To Buy Right Now

In addition, the idea of divesting some products to allow Forest to become more Specialty and! less dependent on a PCP salesforce seems not to make any sense as the dependence on PCP sales is broad based across Forest's entire product line.

"Forest has the need for a PCP salesforce because all of its products – even the respiratory and GI products that many analysts call "Specialty" – get more than 50% of their prescriptions from PCPs," Maris said.

This clearly shows that Forest is a specialty pharma company by size only – its salesforce and product base is not specialty focused, and Forest has problems that large pharma often faces – the need to feed an expensively large, broad-based, and geographically diverse salesforce.

Forest is not in a good position to become specialized without drastically reducing sales. It is more likely that Forest would look to buy its way out of its problems, whether through in-licensing, acquisitions, or mergers.

"Some bulls might see this PCP problem and say it is yet more evidence that Forest might not have any avenue by which to streamline, but it would provide another large drug company with a lot of cost cutting opportunities," Maris wrote.

However, there are not any potential partners that want to acquire Forest given its pipeline is largely spoken for and already launched, and it faces the loss of patent protection on its largest product in April 2015.

"Instead of a focused Specialty company, we think Forest will spend much of its cash hoard to become larger, therapeutically, and geographically sprawling, to help blunt the trauma of the Namenda and Namenda SR generics," Maris noted.

Investors in the stock expect the new CEO to alter course dramatically and cut the company down to a smaller, more focused company – as Icahn and several analyst have suggested, but any refocusing would result in substantially lower revenues and earnings.

When cutting and refocusing doesn't turn out to be the game plan, and spending and acquiring become the game plan, then the recent rise in the shares - on the promise of ! new manag! ement streamlining the company - will reverse.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014

After notching up a positive return yesterday, stocks are starting off on the same track this morning, with the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) and the narrower, price-weighted Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) up 0.69% and 0.81%, respectively, at 10:05 a.m. EDT.

Confirmed: The bull market in gold ended nearly two years ago
Gold lost 3.3% yesterday; with two trading days left in the month, that puts the yellow metal on track to record its worst quarterly performance since it began floating against the dollar in 1971 (as of Wednesday's close, the quarter-to-date loss stands at nearly 23%).

If you own a position in gold via the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) or if you own physical bullion, it's time to recognize that gold's bull market ended in September 2011, when gold peaked just above $1,900 per share. Obviously, this may be difficult to swallow if you decided to take a flyer on this unproductive asset and are now sitting on an unrealized loss. However, refusing to acknowledge it will only raise the odds that your loss will ultimately increase.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: First Majestic Silver Corp.(AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties with a focus on silver in Mexico. The company owns interests in La Encantada Silver Mine comprising 4,076 hectares of mining rights and 1,343 hectares of surface land located in Coahuila; La Parrilla Silver Mine consisting of mining concessions covering an area of 69,867 hectares; and San Martin Silver Mine comprising approximately 7,841 hectares of mineral rights and approximately 1,300 hectares of surface land rights located in Jalisco. It also holds interests in Del Toro Silver Mine consisting of 393 contiguous hectares of mining claims and an additional 129 hectares of surface rights located in Zacatecas; Real de Catorce Silver Project comprising 22 mining concessions covering 6,327 hectares located in San Luis Potosi state; and Jalisco Group of Properties consisting of mining claims totalling 5,240 hectares located in Jalisco. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  Despite the weakness seen in precious metals a few weeks ago, silver has been relatively stable ever since mid-April, with the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV  ) trading in a dollar-wide range ever since. With the presidents of the Chicago and Philadelphia Federal Reserve banks��releasing conflicting statements, turmoil may be just around the corner. Miners like Pan American (NASDAQ: PAAS  ) and First Majestic (NYSE: AG  ) are still facing operating challenges, while silver streaming darling Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) struggles as well.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top 5 Performing Companies To Watch In Right Now: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Northgate Minerals Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in exploring, developing, processing, and mining gold and copper deposits in Canada and Australia. Its principal producing assets include 100% interests in the Fosterville and Stawell Gold mines in Victoria, Australia; and the Kemess South mine located in north-central British Columbia, Canada. The company was formerly known as Northgate Exploration Limited and changed its name to Northgate Minerals Corporation in May 2004. Northgate Minerals Corporation was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc.(TC)

Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in mining, milling, processing, and marketing molybdenum products in the United States and Canada. The company?s principal properties include the Thompson Creek Mine and mill in Idaho; a metallurgical roasting facility in Langeloth, Pennsylvania; and a joint venture interest in the Endako Mine, mill, and roasting facility in British Columbia. It also holds interests in development projects comprising the Davidson molybdenum property and the Berg copper-molybdenum-silver property located in northern British Columbia; the Howard?s Pass property, a lead and zinc project situated in the Yukon territory-northwest territories border; and the Maze Lake property, a gold project located in the Kivalliq district of Nunavut. The company produces molybdenum products, primarily molybdic oxide and ferromolybdenum, as well as soluble technical oxide, pure molybdenum tri-oxide, and high purity molybdenum disulfide. As o f December 31, 2010, its consolidated recoverable proven and probable ore reserves totaled 462.2 million pounds of contained molybdenum in the Thompson Creek Mine and the Endako Mine. The company was formerly known as Blue Pearl Mining Ltd. and changed its name to Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. in May 2007. Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. is based in Denver, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  The stock market liked what it heard Wednesday, August 7, from Thompson Creek Metals (TC) after the close in New York. Second quarter adjusted net earnings of 8 cents a share crushed the Wall Street consensus of a penny a share. Revenue climbed 3.8% to $117.8 million versus expectations for revenue of just $1.3.8 million. The company also said that its new Mt. Milligan mine is on schedule with a start-up for the concentrator expected this month, with first ore-feed by mid-August. The company said it expects commercial production to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013, with production ramping to full capacity over the next twelve months.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The biggest new holdings are Chesapeake Energy�puts, and shares of Discovery Communications. Other new holdings of interest include Halcon Resources (NYSE: HK  ) , and Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC  ) . Oil and gas company Halcon, operating in the promising Bakken region, as well as Texas's productive Eagle Ford shale region, among others, is expected to grow by 30% annually over the coming years. It recently reported 2012 net daily production 128% higher than year-ago levels, and proven reserves up 417%. Halcon was recently one of my colleague Joel South's top two energy holdings, and analysts at Stifel recently upped its rating�from Hold to Buy.

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Beaten-down companies that you think are likely to recover strongly are also good candidates. Molybdenum miner Thompson Creek Metals (NYSE: TC  ) , for example, sports average annual losses of 35% over the past five years, and carries substantial debt, but molybdenum's long-term outlook is promising, with price increases likely, and the company has a promising gold and copper mine on track to start producing by the end of the year. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX  ) is another major molybdenum player, with considerable operations in other metals, as well -- along with new investments in oil and gas production.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

New Gold Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, extraction, processing, and reclamation of mineral properties. The company primarily explore for gold, silver, and copper deposits. Its operating properties include the Mesquite gold mine in the United States; the Cerro San Pedro gold-silver mine in Mexico; and the Peak gold-copper mine in Australia. The company also has development projects, including the New Afton gold, silver, and copper project in Canada; and a 30% interest in the El Morro copper-gold project in Chile. The company was formerly known as DRC Resources Corporation and changed its name to New Gold Inc. in June 2005. New Gold Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Bridges favorite stocks include Goldcorp, Newmont, Eldorado Gold (EGO) and New Gold (NGD).

  Note, however, that these recommendations are all qualified in one way or another. Investors should keep that in mind before going all in on the gold miners.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Even bad news has failed to dent the rise in gold stocks today. NewGold (NGD), for instance, has gained 1.8% to $7.49 despite the fact that the wall of one of its mines collapsed. The Wall Street Journal has the details:

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Newmont Mining Corporation(Holding Company)

Newmont Mining Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and production of gold and copper properties. The company?s assets or operations are located in the United States, Australia, Peru, Indonesia, Ghana, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico. As of December 31, 2009, it had proven and probable gold reserves of approximately 93.5 million equity ounces and an aggregate land position of approximately 27,500 square miles. The company was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Goldcorp Incorporated(GG)

Goldcorp Inc. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central and South America. It produces and sells gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The company was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Ehrman]

  The bigger question that Friday's events raise is whether precious-metals companies are becoming cheap or dangerous at current levels. Barrick is down about 40% this year, and while others such as Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) and Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM  ) are down less, they have still slid by roughly 20% each. Gold as a commodity is down more than 17% this year, as represented by the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEMKT: GLD  ) . In addition, global macroeconomic events are aligning to make the future direction of precious metals very uncertain, at the very least increasing the volatility and risk associated with these types of investments.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  But Yamana has benefited from its low cost structure, and it only intends to make its operations even cheaper going forward in light of low gold prices. Despite already having cash operating costs of less than $400 per ounce, the company expects to cut those costs by another $100 per ounce, doing its best to increase efficiency and maximize profit margins in a tough environment. Weak prices for byproduct metals like copper and zinc have added to Yamana's woes, but it and peer Goldcorp (NYSE: GG  ) have kept enough of a lid on their expenses to remain profitable even with gold at current levels.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Golden Star Resources Ltd(GSS)

Golden Star Resources Ltd., a gold mining and exploration company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of gold properties. It owns and operates the Bogoso/Prestea gold mining and processing operation that covers approximately 40 kilometers of strike along the southwest-trending Ashanti gold district in western Ghana; and the Wassa open-pit gold mine located to the east of Bogoso/Prestea in southwest Ghana. The company also has an 81% interest in the Prestea underground gold mine located in Ghana. In addition, it holds interests in various gold exploration projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Cote d?Ivoire, as well as holds and manages exploration properties in Brazil in South America. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Littleton, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Clash of the titans
  When bears are raging on the gold bullion market, it's not surprising to see gold stocks getting mauled as well. Golden Star Resources (NYSEMKT: GSS  ) was the biggest loser in the sector, losing a quarter of its market cap on no company-specific news, though a report last Friday indicated that a large number of hedge funds had recently dumped their positions in the mid-tier miner. Yet it wasn't all that much better among the majors, either, as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX  ) fell almost 13% and Kinross Gold (NYSE: KGC  ) was down 14%.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Iamgold Corporation(IAG)

IAMGOLD Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral resource properties worldwide. It primarily explores for gold, silver, zinc, copper, niobium, diamonds, and other metals. The company holds interests in eight operating gold mines, a niobium producer, a diamond royalty, and exploration and development projects located in Africa and the Americas. Its advanced exploration and development projects include the Westwood project in Canada; and the Quimsacocha project, which consists of 3 mining concessions covering an aggregate area of approximately 8,030 hectares in Ecuador. The company was formerly known as IAMGOLD International African Mining Gold Corporation and changed its name to IAMGOLD Corporation in June 1997. IAMGOLD Corporation was founded in 1990 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Stoukas]

  Air France led airlines lower, falling 4 percent to 7.30 euros. International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) lost 1.9 percent to 270.7 pence while Deutsche Lufthansa AG slid 2.1 percent to 15.75 euros.

• [By Patricio Kehoe]

  In addition to overexpansion at the wrong time, Golden Star�� position has weakened due to its comparably less efficient operations. Unlike industry peers, such as IamGold Corp. (IAG) or Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI), the majority of the Toronto-based miner�� assets contain refractory ore, which is far more expensive to extract than non refractory ore. And, in an attempt to switch production to the lower cost gold ore, and thus increase margins, Golden Star has depleted its mines��non refractory ore. With low reserves and mounting cash costs, the firm inevitably turned to new acquisitions.

10 Best Gold Stocks To Buy For 2014: Australian Dollar(AU)

AngloGold Ashanti Limited primarily engages in the exploration and production of gold. It also produces silver, uranium oxide, and sulfuric acid. The company conducts gold-mining operations in South Africa; continental Africa, including Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Namibia, and Tanzania; Australia; and the Americas, which include Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. It also has mining or exploration operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Colombia. As of December 31, 2010, the company had proved and probable gold reserves of 71.2 million ounces. The company has a strategic alliance with Thani Dubai Mining Limited to explore, develop, and operate mines across the Middle East and parts of North Africa. AngloGold Ashanti Limited, formerly known as Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company Limited, was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Daniel Putnam]

  First, and most important, earnings estimates are stabilizing. In the past sixty days, 2013 estimates for the major gold miners have begun to tick up. In most cases, the increase is very modest. For instance, Goldcorp‘s (GG) EPS estimates have climbed from $0.91 to $0.95, while Barrick Gold‘s (ABX) have inched up from $2.57 to $2.64. Newmont Mining (NEM), Anglogold Ashanti (AU), and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) have shown similar gains. This positive rate of change marks a significant departure from the steady stream of bad news investors have had to endure in recent years.

• [By Sean Williams]

  I think the answer to this is yes, but it's definitely going to need some help from gold spot prices, and it'll need to formulate solidly structured contracts with its labor force in Africa. Last year, AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU  ) was forced to come to a pay raise agreement with some 10,000 striking workers, after a strike that completely closed its TauTona and Mponeng mines for months. AngloGold understands that higher labor costs are never welcomed from a business perspective, but the alternative of mine closures is even worse.

• [By Profit Confidential]

  Graham Ehm, Executive Vice President of South African-based AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE: AU), one of the biggest gold producers in the global economy, stated the company is looking to save $500 million over the next 18 months, as capital expenditures will only be going towards their highest-quality assets. (Source: Mining Weekly, August 5, 2013.)

Middleby's CEO Offers Advice on Building a Successful Company

In the following video interview, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner speaks with Middleby CEO Selim Bassoul. Since becoming CEO in 2000, Bassoul has led a remarkable transformation at Middleby, the cooking equipment maker, turning the stock into a nearly 50-bagger over that time. In the video, Bassoul discusses the importance of customer service to Middleby's success.

Middleby is one of Tom Gardner's favorite stocks, but you can never have too many great companies in your portfolio. If you're looking for more ideas, our chief investment officer has selected a different stock as his favorite for this year. Find out which stock it is in the free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company. 

Tom Gardner: That's a great answer. "I'm 25 years old. I'm currently working in the customer service sector, in addition to owning a small business with my father. Customer service is our bread and butter, both in my career and in my small business. As someone who looks to invest in companies that provide top-tier customer service, I would like to know," Joe asks, "how big of a role did your customer service model play in your success, and what advice do you have for someone who's still getting their feet wet in the world of entrepreneurship investing and customer service?

Selim Bassoul: Well, customer service is very, very important to us in a way that is literally more important than salespeople.

Gardner: Customer service is easier when you have a no-quibble warranty. Your customer calls up and is upset; you can return the product if you don't like it. That makes customer service a little easier.

Bassoul: Yes, but I can tell you, it makes it even more complicated. Why? Because ultimately nobody buys a product to return it. At the same time, customer service is not only about returning products. People usually try to ask specific questions about which oven I need to buy. We haven't even started with the warranty. People coming back and saying, OK, I am a small pizza store. I deliver 200 pizzas on a Friday. Which oven should I need to do? So they need to be trained. Customer service also is about most probably having somebody being able to talk to somebody at the end of the line.

The key for us, and I've had so many bad experiences -- I don't know if you have ever tried to get to AT&T if you had an issue at your home. You're on the phone for an hour. Try to get on an airline, try to change a ticket and talk to an airline representative. You're 20, 25 minutes. And the worst is I hate those systems that say, "Your wait is 27 minutes," and you have that music. Twenty-seven minutes does not help me. I need somebody to respond. So what we've done -- we've basically found out that three things we've done. We've, one, made sure to return to our customers in hours in terms of getting back to them answers.

Number two, we've used an app. If you go on to the app on your iPad, we have a Middleby app. It's a free Middleby app, and in there we basically do a lot of things. We provide answers on sizing your oven, on energy saving, costing, what is the warranty, where to find parts, who to call, locally and everywhere around the world -- so you map wherever you are, you put your ZIP code, you find out. If there are rebates issued by the company, you put your code. You say is there a rebate, and in my backyard, where I can go get it.

We have basically used our information technology to help people not always get on the phone. But customer service is critical. Customer service is also critical in making sure that they say no. That's the power we give customer service. If we don't have the right product, we don't want to oversell you something that doesn't make sense.

One of the things that there is a tendency in companies is to upsell. I want to sell you a stronger BTU. Instead of selling you a medium-duty range, we are selling you a heavy-duty range. Or the opposite comes even more true. In order to not lose a sale, somebody needs to have a heavier-duty range. ... We'll sell them a cheaper one just to get the sales and finally six months down the road, we find out that, or a year down the road, we find out that that piece of equipment did not meet the needs, so it's very important for us to match the need honestly. So we have very high integrity and empowerment of customer service to override a sale.

Will Apple iTunes Radio Close Pandora’s Box?

Earlier this week, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) announced the introduction of iTunes Radio, the company's latest foray into the service side of the business. While Apple has historically struggled as a service provider, the streaming music service promises to challenge the dominance of Pandora (NYSE: P  ) . The service will be primarily offered as a free, ad-supported app, but users who want to take advantage of cloud storage for $29 can get an ad-free version. One estimate suggests that at even a small conversion rate, iTunes Radio could generate as much as $1 billion in annual revenue.

In the following video, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses what the introduction of this new offering from Apple could mean for Pandora

Pandora has won millions of devotees among music fans but few supporters on Wall Street. The online jukebox seems to be redefining the way we consume music, a transformation that's only likely to grow. But high royalty rates and competition from all corners threatens to silence the company. Can Pandora translate success with its listeners into a prosperous business model that will deliver for investors? Learn about the key opportunities and potential pitfalls facing the upstart radio streamer in The Motley Fool's premium research report. All you have to do is click here now to subscribe to this invaluable investor's resource.

3 Earnings Reports That Caught My Attention Last Week

As we enter the heart of second-quarter earnings reports, I can't help but point out that the majority we've covered over the past year have been better than expected. With so many companies reporting during the weeks that comprise earnings season, it's easy for some earnings reports to fall through the cracks.

Each week for the past year, I've taken a look at three companies that could be worth further research after either beating or missing their profit expectations. Today, we'll take a gander at three more companies that reported earnings last week. They may have slid under your radar, but they deserve a look.

Company

Consensus EPS

Reported EPS

Surprise

Top 10 Heal Care Stocks To Buy For 2014 NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  )	$0.10	$0.13	30%
Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ONXX  )	($0.47)	($0.19)	60%
Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST  )	$0.46	$0.37	-20%

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

NVIDIA
Investors certainly haven't been giving NVIDIA much credit lately, as its legacy graphics business has been hurt by weakening PC demand and its entry into the mobile and tablet chip market is bound to be difficult with plenty of established competition. Yet, NVIDIA proved the doubters wrong yet again with its first-quarter results last week.

For the quarter, revenue rose 3% to nearly $955 million as EPS expanded to $0.13 from $0.10 in the year-ago period. What's really to note was that its Tegra chip sales for tablets and smartphones dropped 22% as the company transitions from Tegra 3 to its all-new Tegra 4 chips. Despite the drop-off in sales, NVIDIA still managed to expand gross margin by 4 percentage points to 54% and delivered a nice boost in graphic chip sales despite weakness in the PC industry.

Furthermore, Project Shield, the company's handheld gaming device, is poised to ship in the upcoming fiscal quarter. Although gaming hasn't exactly been a top performer over the past couple of years due to the commoditization and digitization of the industry, combining NVIDIA's graphics and processing capabilities should allow it to set itself apart from the field. The other interesting aspect of this expected launch is that it comes on the heels of the expected debut of Microsoft's new Xbox and Sony's PlayStation in the second half of the year.

As I stated last month, there's nothing graphic about NVIDIA's potential, and you'd be foolish not to have this company firmly planted on your Watchlist.

Onyx Pharmaceuticals
In September of last year I exclaimed that biopharmaceutical company Onyx would be heading to $100. It appears that its first-quarter report, while still in the red, could help this rapidly growing and innovative company hurdle that mark.

For its most recent quarter, Onyx delivered a doubling in revenue to $145.5 million from $72 million in the previous year, with practically all of the gains coming from multiple myeloma drug Kyprolis. Sales of Kyprolis totaled $64 million this quarter, which is phenomenal for a drug that was only approved in July. Nexavar sales were a bit disappointing, falling 2% from the previous year to $70.3 million. However, Nexavar, which is already approved to treat the most common form of kidney and liver cancer, looks poised to gain the additional indication of metastatic thyroid cancer if trial data keeps working in its favor. 

Kyprolis won't have a completely clear path to success in spite of its rapid sales ascent due to the accelerated approval of Celgene's (NASDAQ: CELG  ) Pomalyst in February. Kyprolis delivered a slightly better median duration of response at 7.8 months versus 7.4 months, yet Pomalyst combined with a low-dose dexamethasone produced a higher overall response rate of 29.2% as compared to 23% for Kyprolis. I feel that the multiple myeloma market is certainly big enough, and in need of any help it can get, that both drugs will be accommodated.

With a loss that was significantly narrower than expected and $739 million in cash and cash equivalents, Onyx still represents an intriguing buyout candidate for a big pharmaceutical company itching for a growing pipeline of products.

Monster Beverage
Whether or not you want to believe it, the time has probably come to sound the alarm of concern if you're a shareholder in energy-drink maker Monster Beverage. Things are an absolute mess despite the company reporting a 6.5% increase in quarterly revenue to $484.2 million, with multiple other metrics headed in the wrong direction.

To begin with, every imaginable expense rose from the year-ago period. Distribution costs as a percentage of sales jumped to 4.6% from 4.3%. General and administrative expenses saw an even bigger jump, from 8.7% of sales to 11.8% of sales. Selling expenses also rose to 13.5% of sales from 12.3% last year.

If rising costs aren't worrisome enough, unfavorable currency translation took $4.7 million off profits, distributor-terminated contracts lopped off another $8.3 million, and the company spent $3 million on what are bound to be ongoing legal fees associated with defending its Monster Energy drinks against allegations that they aren't safe. You don't have to be a math major to see that this is a Monster-size problem!

The allure of energy drink companies is their rapid growth prospects relative to existing sparkling and still beverages. With Monster's sales growth sinking rapidly and a cloud hanging over its operations with regard to the safety of its drinks, I feel you'd be wise to keep a very safe distance from this company.

Foolish roundup
Sometimes an earnings beat or miss isn't as cut-and-dried as it appears. I've given my two cents on what's next for each of these companies -- now it's your turn to sound off. Share your thoughts in the comments section below and consider adding these stocks to your free and personalized watchlist.

Add NVIDIA to My Watchlist. Add Onyx Pharmaceuticals to My Watchlist. Add Monster Beverage to My Watchlist.

Is this "high-energy" stock still worth the risk?
The stakes are high for Monster Beverage these days. The stock had been nothing short of a rocket, but recent developments have sent shares spiraling downward. Health scares sparked a number of investigations at the state and federal level into the energy drink's role in several fatalities. With the company's value slashed in half, investors are wondering whether Monster Beverage is a value or a bust in the fast-growing energy drink category. Find out now in our premium research report, which details all you need to know about Monster Beverage. Click here now to claim your copy and start reading today.

Here are events that shook world in 2013

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While we are approaching the end of another calendar year, there are still some memories of 2012. The biggest fear in 2012 was: the world is coming to an end on 21st December, 2012. Well, it is more than a year – and the world has yet not ended.

At the same time, one may wonder if the world has changed dramatically. Let us look at some of the events that took place in 2013. These events shook our long-held beliefs.

In the beginning of the year, the safest asset – gold, after having a decade long bull run, saw weakness. What happened in April was unbelievable for most – In a sudden move, gold prices (in Indian Rupees) were down more than 20 percent from their peak. Barring a surge in July-August due to the weakness of Indian Rupee against world currencies, Gold has been quite lackluster throughout the year. Before the year began, it was believed to be a safe haven.

The popular belief was that in times of crisis, one rushes to Gold. Well, the safe haven is roughly 17 percent down compared to last year’s price.

One major belief challenged. The safe haven is no longer safe.

Then in July-2013, in a surprise (?) move, the Governor of Reserve bank of India increased overnight interest rates by 2 percent. This move was taken to check the fall in the value of Indian Rupee against world currencies. The Rupee did not recover, but another market felt the tremors – the money market.

In the mutual funds , there is a category of funds, known as liquid funds. The main objective of these funds is to provide a short-term parking place for surplus funds. When the Reserve Bank of India increased short-term interest rates, the NAVs of these liquid funds dropped – an event nobody was prepared for. Well, the NAVs recovered soon thereafter. However, that fortnight was a big negative surprise. Another safe haven lost.

If this was not enough, we had a commodity spot exchange going bust. (We will not get into the fundamentals of the case here, but would focus only on the fact that this was believed to be a robust market institution). This was another event that shook the confidence of people. How can an exchange go bust? Is it not supposed to be a safe place? If an exchange goes bust, what is left?

Do these events indicate that:
1. What was safe till end of 2012 was no longer safe?
2. It was end of the way the world operated, as we knew?

(On a lighter note, the “end-of-the-world” prediction was true.)

The reality is: the world has not changed. It is just that some of the risks manifested. The risks were always there. However, when we evaluate risks, very often we want to see the proof. Thus, if something has not happened in a while, we do not consider the presence of the risk. It is important to note that risk (like truth) does not disappear just because someone refuses to acknowledge it.

The first step in planning your investments would be that you accept that the risks are present, and there is a possibility (however remote) that these risks may manifest.

In order to invest your money, you need to manage the various risks – visible or invisible.

The year 2014 is not going to be different. There are risks in investments and there will be risks in investments. Sometimes these risks would not be apparent, but do not mistake that as permanent absence of the risks.

Happy 2014

- Amit Trivedi
The author runs Karmayog Knowledge Academy. Views expressed here are his personal views. He can be reached at amit@karmayog-knowledge.com .

The Weight of the WidePoint Rally is Finally Bearing Down (WYY)

If you're a fan of, or investor in, WidePoint Corporation (NYSEMKT:WYY), then be warned now that what you're about to read regarding WYY is likely to irritate you. Nothing personal; it's just a reality check. Here goes - WidePoint shares are very likely to be at the onset of a sizeable pullback. [Insert boos and hisses here.]

Just for the record, this has nothing to do with the company itself - WidePoint Corporation is a fine company, as far as IT and telecom architecture go. This call is purely about the stock following an (and come on, you have to admit it's overdone) 80% runup over the past month or so. The telltale signs that WYY is ready to retreat from the rally are starting to fall into place.

One of them is today's bar following yesterday's bar. There's no denying that WYY hot new multi-month highs on Monday, and did so on higher volume. Funny thing about that much strength and that much volume in one day... it's an indicator if a blowoff top, or the proverbial last hurrah for the bulls. Sure enough, there's not a shred of that same buying interest today. WidePoint Corporation are even close to making a lower daily low, which following Monday's strained rally could be a major downside catalyst; the fact that shares are still up 70% since mid-November doesn't exactly help either.

The other reason WidePoint shares could be due for a sizeable dip is the nature and environment for the rally in the first place. It got started with solid Q3 results being announced in mid-November. They were good, and some strength from the stock could be expected. It's not like the results were a complete surprise though, and it's an oddity for a stock to rally for a month straight on earnings news.

Top 5 Canadian Companies To Own For 2014

Fans and followers will be quick to point out t hat WYY landed a couple of big contracts in the meantime. Fair enough. Again though, that's nothing new. Why does news of new business get traction now where it didn't before? The most likely answer is, WidePoint Corporation also participated in a couple of investor conferences between the earnings announcement and now, and those investors liked what they heard. It wouldn't be the first time an investor pow-wow drove an inordinate amount of buyers to a particular stock.

Here's the problem with the investor-conference effect - it can go as quickly as it came, and it looks like it's starting to go now.

Don't get the wrong idea... WYY is still a solid idea, just not at its present price in its present situation. Let the fat get trimmed off and then go shopping. That could be somewhere around, or just above, $1.00.

For more trading ideas and insights like these, be sure to sign up for the free SmallCap Network newsletter.

Don't go overboard with tax-free bonds

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Many a time we have seen people talking about losses in investing world and hence people seek to invest in low risk fixed income instruments such as the ongoing tax-free bonds. No doubt it is a good idea to invest in the ongoing long term tax free bond issues such as India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), given the lower risk of default and a possibility to earn capital gains over the next couple of years as the interest rates are expected to come down. But that does not mean one should bet his all monies on one such idea. It has been observed that investors redeem money from equities as they obtain the cost of buying shares with rising markets, which they subsequently invest in bonds.
 
Such a tendency can be counterproductive if it is contradicting the ideal asset allocation of an investor. Consider an example, if an individual aged 30, who plans to retire at the age of 60, is redeeming all his money from equity mutual funds and parking it in tax-free bonds. This is not a wise idea. It is better to stick to asset allocation and keep rebalancing it at regular interval, let’s say once in a year.
 
If you are young, and has some appetite for risk you should ideally have some exposure to equities. It is better to consider investing at least 50% of money in equities with the long-term view. An aggressive individual may have up to 75% of his money in equities, whereas a conservative investor may choose to keep his equity exposure to 10% of total portfolio value. Whatever be the case an allocation to equity is a must along with fixed income exposure.
 
An important point to note here is to understand that volatility in markets are but violent waves in a sea which rise and go, but eventually subside giving tranquility of mind. So, one should not be much affected by intermittent volatility in the equity markets. One should learn to live with it. Fixed income as an asset class can offer you predictable returns in short to medium term with a little volatility a! s compared to equity, but in the long term it can generate almost nil returns when adjusted to inflation.
 
Also fixed income investors should never forget the time-tested wisdom in the financial markets: it is difficult to predict interest rates in the long-term but it is easy to predict long-term expected returns from equities. If you are investing for the long-term, typically more than five years, do not go overboard on fixed income.

The author is the co-founder and director of creditvidya.com

Ask a Fool: Wearable Technology?

In the following video, Motley Fool research analyst Lyons George takes a question from a Fool reader, who asks, "I keep hearing rumors about 'wearable tech' devices... are they true? Will smart watches, glasses, etc. soon be complementing my phone and laptop? What companies will be making them?"

As one of the most dominant Internet companies ever, Google has made a habit of driving strong returns for its shareholders. However, like many other web companies, it's also struggling to adapt to an increasingly mobile world. Despite gaining an enviable lead with its Android operating system, the market isn't sold. That's why it's more important than ever to understand each piece of Google's sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool's new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

Best Financial Companies For 2014

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now

Second-quarter midstream earnings have finally started to trickle in, as energy giants Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP  ) and TransCanada (NYSE: TRP  ) have reported, as well as a couple of smaller outfits, EQT Midstream Partners (NYSE: EQT  ) and NuStar Energy (NYSE: NS  ) . The industry is off to a great start, and the week was made even more impressive by a spectacular midstream IPO. More on that later, but first the earnings recap.

Q2 Earnings round-up
Kinder Morgan kicked off second-quarter reporting for the midstream industry 10 days ago, posting some knockout numbers. Much of the growth at Kinder Morgan was driven by its recent acquisition of Copano Energy, as well as dropdowns from its 2012 acquisition of El Paso. Four out of Kinder Morgan's five business segments posted year-over-year growth, and all of the Kinder Morgan entities increased their distributions to investors.

TransCanada reported on Friday, and investors were either disappointed or delighted, depending on how high they set their expectations. The company missed analyst estimates but increased revenue and earnings per share on a year-over-year basis. Two of its three business segments posted growth compared with the second quarter last year, including its energy segment, which nearly doubled.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: MEDIFAST INC(MED)

Medifast, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of weight management and disease management products, and other consumable health and diet products in the United States. The company?s product lines include weight and disease management, meal replacement, and vitamins. It also operates weight control centers that offer Medifast programs for weight loss and maintenance, customized patient counseling, and inbody composition analysis. The company markets its products under the Medifast and Essential brand names, including shakes, appetite suppression shakes, women?s health shakes, diabetics shakes, joint health shakes, coronary health shakes, calorie burn drinks, calorie burn flavor infusers, antioxidant shakes, antioxidant flavor infusers, bars, crunch bars, soups, chili, oatmeal, pudding, scrambled eggs, hot cocoa, cappuccino, chai latte, iced teas, fruit drinks, pretzels, puffs, brownie, pancakes, soy crisps, crackers, and omega 3 and digestive health products. Medifast Inc. sells its products through various channels of distribution comprising Web, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and the Web; Take Shape for Life, a physician led network of independent health coaches; and weight control centers. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon] ast produces, distributes and sells weight and health management products with the brand names Medifast, Take Shape for Life, Hi-Energy Weight Control Centers and Woman�� Wellbeing.

  Its return on assets in the third quarter of 2011 was 19.6%, which has been increasing in the past several years. The average return on assets for the specialty retail industry is 10.48% for the trailing 12 months.

  The company�� total assets amounted to $94 million in 2010, which increased from $62.8 million in 2009. Net income also increased to $19.6 million in 2010 from $12 million in 2009.

  Boston Beer Inc. (SAM)

  Boston Beer Inc. is the largest brewer of handcrafted beers in America. Boston Beer is a growing company that recently saw a large increase in its return on assets. It increased from 19.3% in 2010 to 29.7% in 2011, and was negative as recently as 2008. The average return on assets for the beverages industry in the trailing 12 months is 9.47%.

  In 2011, the company�� total assets increased to $272.5 million from $258.5 million in 2010. Net income increased to $66 million from $50 million.

  Alliances Resources Partners (ARLP)

  Alliance Resources Partners is a coal producer and marketer primarily in the eastern U.S. Its ROA has been increasing since 2008 and increased to 22.5% in 2011 from 21.4% in 2010. The average return on assets for the oil, gas & consumable fuels industry in the trailing 12 months is 24.47%.

  In 2011, its total assets increased to $1.7 billion from $1.1 billion in 2010. Its net income increased to $389 million from $321 million.

  Factset Research Systems Inc. (FDS)

  Factset researches global market trends and develops analytical tools for investors. Of all of GuruFocus��5-star predictable companies, it has the highest return on assets at 27%. ROA has been increasing over the past several years. The average return on assets for the software industry for the trailing 12 m

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Shares of Nutrisystem have gained 20% to $18.05 at 1:34 p.m., while Weight Watchers (WTW) has risen 3.6% to $39.42. Medifast (MED), however, has dropped 1.9% to $24.94.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Medifast Inc. (NYSE: MED) saw its stock down 5% in evening trading on Tuesday after the weight loss player had soft sales and guided expectations lower. Shares were still indicated down about 5%, but volume has not yet started.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Waste Management Inc.(WM)

Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company also owns, develops, and operates waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Its collection services involves in picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility, or disposal site; and recycling operations include collection and materials processing, plastics materials recycling, and commodities recycling. In addition, it provides recycling brokerage, which includes managing the marketing of recyclable materials for third parties; and electronic recycling services, such as collection, sorting, and disassembling of discarded computers, communications equipment, and other electronic equipment. Further, the company e ngages in renting and servicing portable restroom facilities to municipalities and commercial customers under the Port-o-Let name; and involves in landfill gas-to-energy operations comprising recovering and processing the methane gas produced naturally by landfills into a renewable energy source, as well as provides street and parking lot sweeping services. Additionally, it offers portable self-storage, fluorescent lamp recycling, and medical waste services for healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and individuals, as well as provides services on behalf of third parties to construct waste facilities. The company was formerly known as USA Waste Services, Inc. and changed its name to Waste Management, Inc. in 1998. Waste Management, Inc. was incorporated in 1987 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Hill]

  Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) reported a slight decline in first-quarter profits but revenues increased. Shares of the trash giant hit their highest point since 1999. In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts talk about the future of Waste Management.

• [By Arjun Sreekumar]

  For instance, Waste Management (NYSE: WM  ) has amassed a fleet of around 2,000 trucks that are powered by compressed natural gas and plans to add more, while UPS (NYSE: UPS  ) recently announced plans to purchase 285 more gas-powered trucks next year.

• [By John Persinos]

  One dominant company in the handling, treatment, and disposal of solid waste is Waste Management (WM). With this industry leader, investors are paying for market dominance, relative predictability, good dividends, and high cash flow.

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  Some of the companies most dependent on government for revenue are Harris Corp. (HRS) �with 80% of revenue government-derived; Granite Construction Inc. (GVA) �with 58%; Flir Systems Inc. (FLIR) �with 54%; and Waste Management Inc. (WM) � and Republic Services Inc. (RSG) �both with 50%, according to Goldman Sachs.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Own Right Now: TrueBlue Inc.(TBI)

TrueBlue, Inc. provides temporary blue-collar staffing services in the United States. It supplies on demand general labor to various industries under the Labor Ready brand; skilled labor to manufacturing and logistics industries under the Spartan Staffing brand; and trades people for commercial, industrial, and residential construction, and building and plant maintenance industries under the CLP Resources brand. The company also provides mechanics and technicians to the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, aerospace manufacturing, and assembly industries, as well as to other transportation industries under the Plane Techs brand; and temporary drivers to the transportation and distribution industries under the Centerline brand. It primarily serves small and medium-size businesses. The company was formerly known as Labor Ready, Inc. and changed its name to TrueBlue, Inc. in December 2007. TrueBlue, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tacoma, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of staffing agency TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI  ) jumped 10% today after the company reported earnings.

  So what: Revenue jumped 19%, to $422.3 million, and beat estimates of $420.2 million from Wall Street. Adjusted earnings per share were also up 19%, to $0.31, outpacing estimates by $0.05.�

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: CNO Financial Group Inc. (CNO)

CNO Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, marketing, and administration of health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance, and other insurance products for senior and middle-income markets in the United States. The company markets and distributes Medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive and traditional life insurance, fixed annuities, and long-term care insurance products; Medicare advantage plans through a distribution arrangement with Humana Inc.; and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans through a distribution and reinsurance arrangement with Coventry Health Care. It also markets and distributes supplemental health, including specified disease, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance products; and life insurance to middle-income consumers at home and the worksite through independent marketing organizations and insurance agencies. In addition, the company markets primarily graded benefit and simplified issue life insurance products directly to customers through television advertising, direct mail, Internet, and telemarketing. It sells its products through career agents, independent producers, direct marketing, and sales managers. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has strategic alliances with Coventry and Humana. The company was formerly known as Conseco, Inc. and changed its name to CNO Financial Group, Inc. in May 2010. CNO Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Vanin Aegea]

  I have heard many people comment about the insurance policies for cars, houses, life, assets, etc. The arguments always revolve around the same issue: Is it really necessary? What are the chances to be hit by a Hurricane, or to meet a sudden death? Well, nobody really knows. Some individuals however, sleep better when they know a policy backs their life investments. Here, I will look into three insurance companies that concentrate on different policies, or geographies. These are: China Life (LFC), and Conseco (CNO).

• [By David Fried, Editor, The Buyback Letter]

  Insurance holding company CNO Financial Group (CNO) and its insurance subsidiaries��rincipally Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Washington National, and Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company��erve pre-retiree and retired Americans.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Nordstrom Inc.(JWN)

Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for women, men, and children in the United States. It offers a selection of brand name and private label merchandise. The company sells its products through various channels, including Nordstrom full-line stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, Jeffrey? boutiques, treasure & bond, and Last Chance clearance stores; and its online store, nordstrom.com, as well as through catalog. Nordstrom also provides a private label card, two Nordstrom VISA credit cards, and a debit card for Nordstrom purchases. The company?s credit and debit cards feature a shopping-based loyalty program. As of September 30, 2011, it operated 222 stores, including 117 full-line stores, 101 Nordstrom Racks, 2 Jeffrey boutiques, 1 treasure & bond store, and 1 clearance store in 30 states. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  This graph represents the "purchase consideration" of Men's Wearhouse against some of its largest suit-selling competitors, listed as Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) , Macy's (NYSE: M  ) , and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN  ) , among others. The industry average has been pretty steady, but Men's Wearhouse appears to be wearing thin among millennials (and among male consumers on the bubble between the millennial generation and Generation X). If that's so, then why did Men's Wearhouse report a nice spike in profits in its latest report? Well, older consumers still like the way they look in a Zimmer-promoted suit:

• [By Mani]

  [Related -Nordstrom, Inc. (JWN): Fundamental Stock Research Analysis]

  Nordstrom EPS results have managed to top the street's view twice in the preceding four quarters while missing in the remaining two periods. Analysts have become bearish on earnings prospects of Nordstrom as the consensus estimate dropped by 8 cents (11 percent) in the past three months. However, one analyst raised the profit estimate in the last month.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Thoratec Corporation(THOR)

Thoratec Corporation engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of proprietary medical devices used for circulatory support. The company?s primary product lines include ventricular assist devices, such as HeartMate II, an implantable left ventricular assist device consisting of a rotary blood pump to provide intermediate and long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS); and HeartMate XVE, an implantable and pulsatile left ventricular assist device for intermediate and longer-term MCS. Its ventricular assist devices also comprise Paracorporeal Ventricular Assist Device, an external pulsatile ventricular assist device, which provides left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for bridge-to-transplantation (BTT), including home discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery; and Implantable Ventricular Assist Device, an implantable and pulsatile ventricular assist device designed to provide left, right, and biventricular MCS approved for BTT comprising hom e discharge, and post-cardiotomy myocardial recovery. The company also provides CentriMag, an extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platform that offers support up to 30 days for cardiac and respiratory failure. In addition, it offers PediMag and PediVAS extracorporeal full-flow acute surgical support platforms designed to provide acute surgical support to pediatric patients. The company sells its products through direct sales force in the United States, as well as through a network of distributors internationally. Thoratec Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of medical device company Thoratec (NASDAQ: THOR  ) sank 12% today after its quarterly results missed Wall Street expectations. �

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI)

Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides workers compensation insurance and reinsurance products in the United States. The company?s Workers Compensation Insurance segment provides traditional workers compensation insurance coverage products, including guaranteed cost policies, policyholder dividend policies, retrospectively-rated policies, deductible policies, and alternative market products to employers. This segment distributes its workers? compensation products and services through its independent insurance agents primarily in Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia. Its Segregated Portfolio Cell Reinsurance segment offers alternative market workers compensation solutions comprising program design, fronting, claims administration, risk management, segregated portfolio cell rental, asset management, and segregated portfolio management services to individual companies, groups, and associations. Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  ProAssurance Corp.(PRA) agreed to acquire Eastern Insurance Holdings Inc.(EIHI) for about $205 million, expanding the insurance company’s casualty insurance offerings. Eastern Insurance is a domestic casualty insurance group specializing in workers’ compensation products and services, among other things. ProAssurance plans to pay $24.50 in cash for each outstanding Eastern share, a 16% premium over Monday’s closing price.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.(BWLD)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. engages in the ownership, operation, and franchise of restaurants in the United States. The company provides quick casual and casual dining services, as well as serves bottled beers, wines, and liquor. As of July 26, 2011, it had 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, restaurant operator Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) has earned a respected four-star ranking. �

• [By Nickey Friedman]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) has an even better margin to shoot for, with its 18% restaurant margin. Though both Buffalo Wild Wings and Famous Dave's specialize in sauce-covered meat, Buffalo Wild Wings sells much more high-margin booze. It may be too tall of an order for Famous Dave's to match that margin.

• [By Steve Symington]

  Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD  ) investors sure hope so, because Monday marked the official debut of the company's new "Game Changer Ale,"�which was created with the help of the folks at Redhook Brewery.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Crocs Inc.(CROX)

Crocs, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company primarily offers casual and athletic shoes, and shoe charms. It also designs and sells a range of footwear and accessories that utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, called Croslite. The company?s footwear products include boots, sandals, sneakers, mules, and flats. In addition, it provides footwear products for the hospital, restaurant, hotel, and hospitality markets, as well as general foot care and diabetic-needs markets. Further, the company offers leather and ethylene vinyl acetate based footwear, sandals, and printed apparels principally for the beach, adventure, and action sports markets; and accessories comprising snap-on charms. The company sells its products through the United States and international retailers and distributors, as well as directly to end-user consumers th rough its company-operated retail stores, outlets, kiosks, and Web stores primarily under the Crocs Work, Crocs Rx, Jibbitz, Ocean Minded, and YOU by Crocs brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 164 retail kiosks located in malls and other high foot traffic areas; 138 retail stores; 76 outlet stores; and 46 Web stores. Crocs, Inc. operates in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Western Brands, LLC and changed its name to Crocs, Inc. in January 2005. Crocs, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Niwot, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Investors love stocks that consistently beat the Street without getting ahead of their fundamentals and risking a meltdown. The best stocks offer sustainable market-beating gains, with robust and improving financial metrics that support strong price growth. Does Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX  ) fit the bill? Let's look at what its recent results tell us about its potential for future gains.

Top 10 Growth Stocks To Watch Right Now: Checkpoint Systms Inc.(CKP)

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. manufactures and markets identification, tracking, security, and merchandising solutions for the retail and apparel industry worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Shrink Management Solutions, Apparel Labeling Solutions, and Retail Merchandising Solutions. The Shrink Management Solutions segment provides shrink management and merchandise visibility solutions. It offers electronic article surveillance systems, such as EVOLVE, a suite of RF and RFID-enabled products that act as a deterrent to prevent merchandise theft in retail stores; and electronic article surveillance consumables, including EAS-RF and EAS-EM labels that work in combination with EAS systems to reduce merchandise theft in retail stores. This segment also provides keepers, spider wraps, bottle security, and hard tags, as well as Showsafe, a line alarm system for protecting display merchandise. In addition, it offers physical and electronic store monitoring solutions, incl uding fire alarms, intrusion alarms, and digital video recording systems for retail environments; and RFID tags and labels. The Apparel Labeling Solutions segment provides apparel labeling solutions to apparel retailers, brand owners, and manufacturers. It has Web-enabled apparel labeling solutions platform and network of 28 service bureaus located in 22 countries that supplies customers with customized apparel tags and labels. The Retail Merchandising Solutions segment offers hand-held label applicators and tags, promotional displays, and queuing systems. The company serves retailers in the supermarket, drug store, hypermarket, and mass merchandiser markets through direct distribution and reseller channels. Checkpoint Systems was founded in 1969 and is based in Thorofare, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Three months after settling upon a new chief executive officer, it looks like Thorofare, N. J.-based Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP  ) will soon have itself a new CFO as well.

• [By John Udovich]

  Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of�"shrink��that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending),�retailers�will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing�retail theft with solutions from company�� like Checkpoint Systems.

Week In FX Asia – Will Abe's Policies Weaken Yen Further in 2014?

There is great expectation that the U.S. and Europe will lead any rebound in the developed market. Next year, the U.S. is expected to reduce the fiscal drag (increased taxes and spending seizures) that the American economy has endured in the last few years. Hopefully, this will lead to a consensus of a real growth rate of approximately +3%. That's a far better prospect than what's unfolding across the Atlantic. Recent hard and soft European data would suggest a more muted and gradual recovery for the 17-member single currency bloc.

In Japan where Abenomics reigns, additional monetary easing, and stimulus from Abe's third arrow (read: privately financed projects), should be capable of compensating the fiscal tightening (sales tax) Tokyo will initiate at the end of the first quarter in 2014. Japan is an export driven economy, a country that requires a weaker yen to further boost exports and economic growth. Critics of Abe's three arrow policies are certainly wary of the fact that increasing the inflation rate to 2% may not necessarily increase consumption and economic activity. Even changes in the structure of Japan's economy, do not necessarily mean that a lower currency may have the same effect on exports and growth. The short-yen trade has dominated many forex portfolios this past year. It has certainly been a trade of “patience,” a trade that's expected to continue to dominate in the coming year.

Please read more in Global Currencies Forecast: 2014

  Forex News Round Up | Latest Forex Market Trend – Market Pulse Japan's Agriculture Law Changes Next on Abe's Agenda Rare Riot Reignites Singapore Social Stability Doubts Chinese Leaders Pledge To Push Reforms in 2014 Experts Cites Top Three China Risks Nikkei Expected To Rise 16% In 2014 RBA Heard ‘Loud and Clear' as AUD/USD at 0.8950 Nikkei To Hit 22,000 In 2014 – Barclays Japan Ruling Parties Approve Tax Reform Policies for 2014 China Bad Bank Shares Impress on Debut Yuan Weakens As Regulators Restrict “Hot Money” Flows 30 Year Anniversary of the Floating of the Australian Dollar NZ Inflation Accelerates as RBNZ Signals 2014 Rates Move Japan Wholesale Prices Climb 2.7 Percent YoY Due to Weak Yen Japan's Ruling Party Seeking to Cut Taxes on Daily Necessities Japan's Tankan Survey Shows Business Confidence and Spending Outlook Positive Japan Plans to Spend $1.3 Billion on Employment Stimulus Japan Asks for US Flexibility on TPP Talks No Trans-pacific Trade Pact This Year Casino Bill To Drive Japanese Stocks Higher Yuan near 20 Year High at 6.0723 per dollar Japan Current Account Shows First Deficit in 9 Months BoJ Kuroda Expresses Confidence on Inflation Target Singpore Riot Highlights Foreign Worker Discontent Indian Congress Party Defeated in Key States Japan New Stimulus Has Roots in Lost Decade Japanese Economy Looking Weaker

WEEK AHEAD

 

* GBP Consumer Price Index
* EUR German ZEW Survey (Economic Sentiment)
* EUR Euro-Zone Consumer Price Index
* USD Consumer Price Index
* USD Federal Reserve FOMC Meeting Begins
* USD Federal Open Market Committee Rate Decision
* USD Fed's Bernanke Holds Press Conference
* NZD Gross Domestic Product
* CAD Consumer Price Index

 

The post Week In FX Asia – Will Abe's Policies Weaken Yen Further in 2014? appeared first on MarketPulse.

The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited.

Posted-In: Forex Economics Markets

Originally posted here...

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Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now

Poor Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) . After seeing its share price rise spectacularly in the week prior to its first-quarter earnings report, the stock took a real drubbing immediately after that report was issued. Today, it is getting beat up anew, and I think it is still feeling the consternation of investors about its less-than-sparkly earnings announcement.

Was the report really that bad? Sure, there were weak points, such as mortgage banking malaise, as well as continuing legal hassles in regards to its Countrywide smudge pot of stinky legacy loans. But there were bright spots, too: The streamlining process is working, and B of A has reduced nonperforming assets by $5 billion year over year. Plus, its Bank of America Merrill Lynch division is kicking butt, bringing home the bacon to the tune of $3.68 billion�-- a 7% boost from the year-ago quarter's $3.44 billion.

So, why is the share price still falling by mid-morning, having lost 0.68% since the opening bell? Softness in the financial sector as a whole is surely at work here, as the Dow (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) has been somewhat grumpy itself this Monday morning and now sits 0.12% lower than it did at the open of business today.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Intek Spa(TEKI.MI)

Intek SpA engages in acquiring and managing companies. It invests in a portfolio of investments in companies that focuses on industrial, financial, and services areas. The company is headquartered in Ivrea, Italy.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation(VTSS)

Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of semiconductor products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of carrier and enterprise networking products, and data center infrastructure systems worldwide. It offers a line of Ethernet switching products consisting of carrier Ethernet switch engines for customer premise equipment, access network equipment, wireless base stations, mobile access equipment, fiber and microwave wireless backhaul equipment, and metro networking equipment; and Ethernet switches that enable desktop, workgroup, and LAN infrastructure. The company also provides Ethernet media access controllers that offer addressing and channel control mechanisms and are used in enterprise class modular Ethernet switch platforms, as well as in Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH and Ethernet-over-OTN systems used in access, metro, and long-haul carrier networking systems; Ethernet transceivers, including single, quad, and octal devices that allow the transmission of 10/100/1000 BASE-T data over category 5 copper cable and fiber optic cabling for use in personal computers, home electronics, and LAN applications; and Ethernet transceivers with packet timing and synchronization capabilities. In addition, it provides a line of connectivity products, which comprise mixed-signal physical media devices, physical layer devices, crosspoint switches, and signal integrity devices that are used for the connection of systems via optical fiber, copper cable, or backplanes. Further, the company offers a range of transport processing products, such as framers, mappers, and switches, which support data rates up to 10 Gbps for SONET/SDH, EoS, and OTN applications. It markets and sells its products directly to OEMs and original design manufacturers, as well as through third-party electronic component distributors and manufacturing service providers. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Camar illo, California.

Top 5 Oil Companies To Buy Right Now: Pulaski Financial Corp.(PULB)

Pulaski Financial Corp. operates as the holding company for Pulaski Bank that provides a range of financial products and services for businesses and retail customers. The company offers savings deposits, certificates of deposits, commercial papers, short-term money market securities, and other corporate and government securities. Its loan portfolio includes residential mortgage loans; home equity lines of credit; one- to four-family residential construction loans; residential or commercial real estate loans; multi-family residential loans; commercial and industrial loans; and consumer and other loans. The company also provides title insurance products and services, including owner?s policies of insurance, lender?s policies of insurance, and miscellaneous title information products, such as letter reports for residential and commercial transactions; and insurance products and annuities. In addition, it offers appraisal services to mortgage loan customers. Pulaski Financia l Corp. serves customers throughout the St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas and Wichita, Kansas. As of January 17, 2012, it operated 13 full-service branch offices and 6 loan production offices. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Ripper Oil And Gas Inc. (RIP.V)

Ripper Oil and Gas Inc. does not have significant operations. The company is in negotiations for the proposed reverse take-over with Xogen Technologies Inc. Previously, it was engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Canada. The company was formerly known as Old Sun Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Ripper Oil and Gas Inc. in June 2001. Ripper Oil and Gas Inc. was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Metabolix Inc.(MBLX)

Metabolix, Inc., a bioscience company, develops and commercializes technologies for the production of polymers and chemicals in plants and in microbes. It offers a proprietary microbial fermentation system to produce a family of polymers known as polyhydroxyalkanoates under the Mirel brand. Mirel holds biodegradability characteristics; and would be used in a range of commercial applications, including products used in agriculture and horticulture, compost and organic waste diversion bags, marine and aquatic applications, consumer products, business equipment and durable goods, and general packaging materials. The company also develops a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals, and energy from crops, such as switchgrass, oilseeds, and sugarcane. It has a strategic alliance with ADM Polymer Corporation. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  If you'd rather spend your hard-earned dollars on some bargain-priced stocks rather than face the Black Friday mania at the malls (wise choice, by the way), then you've come to the right place. And, you may want to start you bargain hunt with Metabolix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBLX) and Unwired Planet Inc. (NASDAQ:UPIP). Both names have been unduly beaten up in recent weeks, and better still, it looks like UPIP and MBLX, are ready to recover... in spades. That's an important detail, as a bargain is only a bargain if it's something actually worth owning. Take a look.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Resource America Inc.(REXI)

Resource America, Inc. operates as an asset management company. The company, through its subsidiaries, operates in three segments: Financial Fund Management; Real Estate; and Equipment Finance. The Financial Fund Management segment engages in the formation and collateral management of structured financial products and of issuers of collateralized debt obligations, such as trust preferred securities, asset backed securities, leveraged loans, private equity, commercial mortgage backed securities, residential mortgage backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, and home equity loans. The Real Estate segment focuses on the acquisition of multifamily properties on behalf of the limited partnership investment funds it sponsors. The Equipment Finance segment offers small ticket equipment leases to the small to mid-sized business market through the formation of strategic marketing alliances. Resource America, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylva nia.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Box Ships Inc.(TEU)

Box Ships Inc. owns and operates containerships. As of August 16, 2011, it operated a fleet of 7 containerships with a total carrying capacity of 33,237 twenty-foot equivalent units. The company was founded in 2010 and is based in Athens, Greece.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  TearLab (NYSE: TEU  ) is looking to widen its capital base by more than $32 million in an underwritten public offering of its common stock. The company is floating 2.6 million shares at a price of $13.50 apiece. Additionally, the company's underwriters have been granted a 30-day purchase option for up to an additional 15% of the total number of shares to cover overallotments.

• [By ABN]

  TAL International Group (TAL) is one of the world's largest lessors of intermodal freight containers for the shipping business with 17 offices in 11 countries and approximately 230 third-party container depot facilities in 40 countries. TAL's fleet consists of approximately 1,238,000 containers and 2,031,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: ResMed Inc (USA CUFS)

ResMed Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and distribution of medical equipment for treating, diagnosing, and managing sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. It offers various products for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, including airflow generators, diagnostic products, mask systems, headgear products, and ventilation devices, as well as other optional accessories, such as cold passover humidifiers, carry bags, and breathing circuits. The company also provides data communications and data control products consisting of EasyCare, ResLink, ResControl, ResControl II, TxControl, ResScan, and ResTraxx modules that facilitate the transfer of data and other information to and from the flow generators. ResMed Inc. markets its products to sleep clinics, home healthcare dealers, and third-party payers. The company sells its products through a network of distributors, independent man ufacturers, representatives, and direct sales force in approximately 70 countries primarily in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Norway, and Sweden. ResMed Inc. was founded in 1989 and is based in San Diego, California.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: Powell Industries Inc.(POWL)

Powell Industries, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and servicing of custom engineered-to-order equipment and systems for the management and control of electrical energy and other critical processes in transportation, environmental, energy, industrial, and utility industries. The company operates in two segments, Electrical Power Products and Process Control Systems. The Electrical Power Products segment offers electrical power distribution and control systems that are used to distribute, monitor, and control the flow of electrical energy, as well as to provide protection to motors, transformers, and other electrically-powered equipment. It offers power control room substation packages, traditional and arc-resistant distribution switchgear, medium-voltage circuit breakers, offshore generator and control modules, monitoring and control communications systems, motor control centers, and bus duct systems directly to end-users or to engineering, procuremen t, and construction firms. This segment serves oil and gas producers, oil and gas pipelines, refineries, petrochemical plants, electrical power generators, public and private utilities, co-generation facilities, mining/metals operations, pulp and paper plants, transportation authorities, governmental agencies, and other industrial customers. The Process Control Systems provides technology solutions, including instrumentation, computer controls, and communications and data management systems to control and manage critical processes and facilities; and technical services to deliver these systems. This segment sells its products and services directly to end-users in transportation, environmental, and energy sectors. The company has operations in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, and Central America. Powell Industries, Inc. was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Top 10 Performing Companies To Invest In Right Now: SDL PLC(SDL.L)

SDL plc provides global information management software and services to multinational businesses. Its Web content management, ecommerce, structured content and language technologies, and language services are used for content creation, management, translation, and publishing. The company operates through three segments: Language Services, Language Technologies, and Content Management Technologies. The Language Services segment provides translation services to customer?s multilingual content in multiple languages. The Language Technologies segment engages in the sale of enterprise, desktop, and statistical machine translation technology developed to help automate and manage multilingual assets, as well as provides associated consultancy and other services. The Content Management Technologies segment involves in the sale of content management technologies developed to help automate and manage content to deliver an interactive and personalized customer experience in multiple languages across Websites, documentation, and channels. The company serves aerospace, automotive, chemicals, oil and gas, electronics and high technology, fast moving consumer goods, finance, industrial goods, IT consulting, life science, media and publishing, public sector, services, software, telecoms, travel and tourism, and translation industries. SDL plc has a strategic partnership with Sapient. The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Maidenhead, the United Kingdom.